


Bubbles In My Beer

by mara_cas



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (very light), Ash taking care of Eiji for a change, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Fluff and Feels, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, and pining Ash, drunk and accidentally seductive Eiji, it's basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 15:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mara_cas/pseuds/mara_cas
Summary: Ash comes home to find a drunk Eiji, happily drinking with his gang.Everyone knows alcohol loosens tongues, but what happen when you don’t have any secret to keep?---Takes place somewhere in episode 17 of the anime.





	Bubbles In My Beer

When Ash pushes the door of the apartment that evening, he knows right away something’s different.

He leaves his jacket on the hanger and hears Eiji’s laugh coming from the living room. His voice seems louder than usual and Ash understands quickly the reason behind it.

Frowning, he enters the room. He’s not surprised to find Eiji, Alex, Bones and Kong, sat on the couches, alcohol on the table. It’s not the first time Ash finds Eiji drinking casually with his gang, but he had never seen any of them seems as drunk as they are now. 

“Ash!” Eiji greats him louder than necessary. “You’re back! I’m so happy to see you!” 

The warm smile of his friend coupled with the adorable blush to his cheeks and his genuine happiness upon seeing Ash makes his annoyance ease a little. 

Only a little, however. He doesn’t let it shows in his expression. He throws a disapproving glare at his gang. 

Their reaction upon seeing him enter the room is in total opposite of Eiji’s. Frozen in place, they stare at him with apprehension. The look on Ash’s face and the way he didn’t even visibly relax at Eiji’s fond greeting make them understand right away they are in trouble. 

Alex is the first to speak, forced to assume his responsibilities as the second in command. “H-Hi, boss! You’re here early tonight...” He tries -and fails miserably- to keep his voice even. 

Ash sits down on the empty sofa, across from Eiji and Alex. He grabs a can of beer. “I see you guys had fun tonight.” His voice is calm, but Ash knows his tone is chilling.

Eiji is the only one in the room to be totally oblivious of Ash’s mood. “Yes, we had! So much fun!” 

Eiji’s eyes glisten with a mischievous glee. “I learned many things tonight!” 

“Oh, good for you.” Ash takes a sip of his drink. “What did you learn?” he asks, his tone artificially detached. 

But Alex is the one to respond. “Hum, nothing much, really. Eiji is exaggerating, right guys?”

Kong and Bones nods eagerly. This just makes Ash feels more suspicious. 

“I’ve learned many new words! I’m a real American, now!” 

Ash wonders how many drinks Eiji had. He seems really drunk, more than he ever saw him be. 

He doesn’t really know why this put him in a bad mood. Yes, it’s true that his gang was supposed to look after Eiji, _not to make him drunk_ , so he can at least be rightfully a little mad at them. But Eiji is a grown man after all, he can look after himself, and it’s not like being drunk will hurt him or anything. 

Then again, his gang is here to assure Eiji’s safety, not to fool around with him. He is glad they get along well, and it’s true part of why he asks them to stay with Eiji is to keep him company, but they’re supposed to stay alert! Not to get drunk! How could they watch him properly in the state they are now? 

The elusive feeling of danger that hang over Ash’s head for some time now makes him more nervous than usual. Being unable to find the source of the threat fills him with more fear he would like to admit. Yet, he didn’t say anything about it to his gang, and neither to Eiji, so he can’t blame them for acting so carelessly. 

Eiji whines indignantly. “But you’re here too late, Ash! I’m tired now.” 

Alex was just beginning to hope to get out of this situation with nothing more than some death glares from Ash, when Eiji suddenly slumbers onto him, resting his head against Alex shoulder with a contented sigh. “So tired…”

Alex looks at the Japanese with a very alerted face, then at Ash, and tries to keep Eiji up and away from him.

Ash stares at the scene with a frown. From the perplexed look on Eiji’s face at being rejected by Alex, it’s painfully obvious it’s not the first time of the night he rests against the man and doesn’t understand what’s different now. 

“What is it, Alex?” Eiji asks innocently, “Is your shoulder tired?”

Ash lets out a long sigh. Maybe another day he would have found the dumb looks on his gang's faces and the total obliviousness of Eiji funny, but tonight it just makes him sour.  
Suddenly, giving his gang the silent glare treatment is not amusing anymore. He just wants them to leave. Of course, this has nothing to do with Eiji’s head on Alex’s shoulder. Nothing. 

“Do you guys think you’re sober enough to head back?”

The three men nod furiously. Clearly Ash’s apparition had made them sober up faster than being thrown in ice-cold water.

They jump to their feet and leave the room, waving goodbye to Eiji. 

As they leave, Alex comes to Ash with a serious expression on his face. “Boss… I’m sorry we got drunk, we let ourselves go too far, this will not happen again.”

“It’s okay. All I ask is that you stay able to act up if something happen.”

“Of course! We will be more careful next time boss, you can count on us!”

Ash smiles indulgently. He trusts Alex. Maybe it’s why he felt a little betrayed by his men careless attitude tonight.

 

When Ash returns to Eiji, he is still on the couch. Ash goes to sit beside him. 

“Look at you, you will hate yourself in the morning.”

Eiji smiles at him. “It was worth it.”

The Japanese leans on Ash’s shoulder, not unlike what he did with Alex earlier. He smells a little like alcohol, but mainly just like _Eiji_ , so it doesn’t bother Ash. 

“You do know you’re really drunk, right?”

Eiji huffs. “Yes, I know. I’m not used to drinking much.”

Ash laughs quietly. “You don’t say. I bet you’ve never been that drunk.”

But to his surprise, his friend protests. “No, I’ve had worse. That time in Japan, we wanted to celebrate being done with high school, and my friend threw a party.”

Eiji laughs, lost in the memory. “We got so drunk we all ended naked in his pool. It was fun. We all got a cold, though.”

Ash stares at him, mouth agape. Now, _that_ is unexpected. Eiji is definitively full of surprises. 

The Japanese is clearly amused by his expression. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m sure you had worse drunken antics.”

Ash realizes that no, he hasn’t. Sure, he already drank a little too much, especially when he was in Shorter’s company, but never to the extent of losing himself. He dislikes the feeling of lost control the alcohol brings with it. It erases his senses and Ash likes being sharp, ready for anything.

“You know what? No, I’ve never drank much. I’m not really the party type, you know.”

A shadow pass on Eiji’s face. He seems lost in his thoughts for a while, frowning to himself. When he looks at Ash again, determination shines brightly in his eyes.

“That’s too bad, you have to let yourself go, Ash! Here, drink with me!”

“I think you already drank enough, Eiji.”

Eiji pouts. “Maybe,” he concedes, “I just want you to relax. You seem tense tonight.” 

“It’s nothing, I’m just tired, that’s all.”

Eiji doesn’t seem to buy it. “You’re hiding something again. I can always tell, Ash. Sometimes, I pretend I don’t notice but I do.” 

Eiji raises his hand slowly, and touch Ash’s face gently, like he is afraid Ash will withdraw if he isn’t careful. Ash does his best to stay impassible. Seeing Ash doesn’t react, Eiji browses Ash’s face with his fingers, from his cheek to his eyebrows. There, he smooths the wrinkle between Ash’s frowned brow with his thumb. 

His touch is reverent, and Ash had never been touched like this. Like he is something _precious_. 

Ash shivers, body transfixed by a swirling wave of conflicting emotions. Eiji’s touch is so soft on his skin, he can’t help to lean into it. He exhales, and all the tension accumulated through the day leaves his body. 

Eiji withdraws his hand, but Ash catches it before it can leave his cheek. He presses it there, marveling at the unknow sensation Eiji’s hand on his face arise in him. 

Eiji’s initial surprise morphs into a fond smile. He is so transparent, it’s always so easy for Ash to know what he is thinking. It’s soothing to be with someone who has nothing to hide.  


They are close, Ash can feel Eiji’s breath on his lips. He craves to touch Eiji’s face back, to trace the inviting curve of his lips with his thumb, to be even closer to him and maybe…

Ash lets go of Eiji’s hand and leans back, restoring the distance between them. He can’t allow himself to take that track, he can never allow himself to kiss Eiji again. 

When Ash was a child, before his life became the nightmare it was today, Griffin told him plenty of stories to help him find sleep. Griffin had a way with words, he made them sound real, he spoke images into Ash’s eyes. 

There was a story that had marked Ash. He doesn’t exactly remember what it was about, except it was question of love and of a kiss. 

What he remembers perfectly however, is how Griffin had told him a kiss is like a promise, a promise you do to the person you love to always be there for them. He remembers because then, Griffin had leaned to kiss his forehead, and Ash had rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. 

Ash had thought back of Griffin’s words many times, always with bitterness. Griffin had gone, leaving him alone and scared. And the only people that had ever kissed Ash after that were just taking from him. Anytime this had happened, Griffin’s words would come back to him, and with them the chilling perspective of the nameless taker coming back for more. 

But it’s different with Eiji. Everything is different with him. He is the only person Ash would freely give a kiss, the only one who makes him wants to promise. Sometimes, his mind wanders in this territory and he would think back of the kiss they shared in prison.

It has been a plot, nothing like what Griffin had in mind when he told his little brother about kisses, just a way to pass a message to Eiji. And not the type of love message but the type of do-this-dangerous-thing-for-me message. 

At the time of the kiss, Ash and Eiji didn’t even know each other that well. Eiji was a stranger, a cute and bizarrely interesting stranger, with fascinating brown eyes and unsuspected bravery, but a stranger nonetheless. 

Knowing all of this didn’t prevent Ash to fantasize about the kiss. To remember the softness of Eiji’s lips, the warm sensation of his tongue against his, the pink of his cheeks afterward. 

These thoughts were always accompanied by a mixture of shame and pleasure, always intricately intertwined. Eiji wasn’t just a pretty face and soft mouth, he was the person Ash cared about the most in the whole world. He deserved things Ash could never offer him. 

And that was the reason they could never kiss again. Because Ash couldn’t make him the promise, the vow to always be there for him. He couldn’t keep him safe. 

All he could bring him was danger. Ash couldn’t resolve himself to send Eiji back to Japan, but he knew what they had couldn’t continue forever. Forever was the only thing he couldn’t promise, when he never knew if he would be able to live to see another day. 

“You’re sad again.” Eiji’s voice pulls him from his thoughts. The Japanese is looking at him with a frown, worry vibrant in his eyes. “I wish I could make you happy.” he murmurs, staring at his hands on his lap. 

The statement is so ridiculous Ash nearly laughs. But Eiji’s expression is serious. Ash feels his chest warm up with affection, filling his whole body with a pleasant softness. He lets a small smile stretches his lips. 

“You are, you klutz.”

“Really?” Eiji raises his head, his eyes questioning Ash’s. 

“Of course, you are. What? You think I keep you around for the quality of your lousy sandwiches?”

Eiji smiles. “I know why you let me stay with you, Ash. I know because we feel the same. But sometimes, I think it would be nice to hear you say it.”

Ash knows he is blushing lightly. He hopes Eiji is too drunk to notice. It seems so easy for his friend to say what he thinks, how he feels. So why is it so hard for Ash, why can’t he admit to his friend how much he cares about him? Then again, Eiji always knows without words, so why bother? What they share is above words anyway. 

Eiji pouts. “And I know you like my sandwiches, so stop being a dick about it.”

Ash laughs freely this time. “Who taught you how to be so vulgar?”

“You did!” replies Eiji, petulantly. 

Ash has nothing to reply to that. 

Eiji closes his eyes, huddling on the couch. “I’m tired.” he mutters.

“Well, go to sleep, then.”

“No, I don’t want to move.” he protests weakly.

“You’re such a baby. You will not sleep well here. Let me help you go to your bed.” 

Eiji whines, but he lets Ash slip his arm under his shoulders and raise him to his feet. 

When they stand, Eiji stags and leans heavily onto Ash. They reach the bedroom with difficulty, and Eiji suddenly slips and puts his arm on Ash’s, for support. 

Ash laughs. “Come on, you clumsy klutz, we’re nearly there.”

But Eiji seems to refuse to walk any further. He turns into Ash’s embrace to rest his forehead on Ash’s shoulder. He inhales deeply in the crook of his neck. 

“You smell good, Ash.” he whispers, and it sounds like a confession he was holding back for too long.

Ash freezes. The sensation of Eiji’s breath on his neck, the way he leans onto him, the weight of his body, so pliable against him… all of it is too much. He feels a pleasant warmth grows in his stomach and suddenly, breathing becomes impossibly difficult. 

They have reached Eiji’s bed, but the Japanese just holds on to him, refusing to let go. His arms embrace Ash’s waist, his hands coming to grip at the back of his shirt. Ash find himself leaning in his embrace, unable to resist. 

Ash lefts out a shaky breath. “Of course, you _had_ to be the affectionate drunk type.” 

He carefully disentangles himself from his friend, his hands gently coming over Eiji’s to detach them from his shirt. The Japanese raises his head to look at Ash, his mouth forming a pout, but he doesn’t protest. 

He takes a step back but sways, uneasy on his legs. Ash, still holding his hands, helps him lie down in his bed. Eiji lets himself be led without struggling. 

“I’m not in my pajamas.” he says suddenly, frowning at his clothes, like he had just noticed it. 

Ash rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well fend for yourself, I’m not helping you out with that.”

Eiji huffs. “You’re a meanie.” 

He clumsily tries to take off his buttoned shirt by pulling at it lazily. 

Ash takes pity of him and sighs again. If Eiji is trying to make him crazy, it’s working very well.

He sits down beside him on the bed. “Fine, let me help you.” he grumbles.

He unbuttons Eiji’s shirt for him, revealing his toned torso with every new button undone. He tries not to blush, but he can’t really help it. It’s far from the first time he sees Eiji half-naked, but the gesture makes it seems so… intimate. Eiji’s soft skin under his fingers lights a new fire in his body. Focused on his task, he resists the desire to raise his head to see Eiji’s expression. 

Undoing the last button, his fingers twitches when he reaches Eiji’s jeans. He stops there, his mouth dry. 

“There.” He leans back and tries to swallow the lump that has formed in his throat. 

Eiji slips off his shirt, smiling. “Thank you, Ash.” He seems totally impervious to Ash’s turmoil.

The Japanese undoes his jeans’ zipper himself and wiggles out of his pants. Ash pick up the shirt that Eiji has thrown on the floor and tries not to stare. 

Eiji finally pulls the blanket on himself, a contented expression on his face. “That’s better.” 

Then he stares at Ash, frowning again. “Ash. I’m thirsty.” 

_Me too_. Ash nearly responds. He definitely needs a cold glass of water to extinguish the fire Eiji has light up in him. 

“I will bring you water.” He gathers Eiji’s clothes and leaves the room quickly. 

Away from Eiji’s innocent seduction, Ash can gather his thoughts more easily. He knows Eiji has no idea of the effect he has on Ash; the American had made sure of it. His ability to keep a straight face has already saved him from plenty of dangerous situations. 

When he is near Eiji, Ash can nearly graze what it’s like to be a normal teenager, a person able to tease and laugh freely. A person allowed _to want_ things for himself. 

Sometimes, he imagines what his relationship with Eiji would be like if he was a regular man, never touched by death and abuse. He wonders how it would be, to allow himself to act on his every desire without the fear of losing what’s precious to him hanging over his head.

But these thoughts are fantasies, and Ash makes a conscious effort to keep them away. Not that he has much time to dwell on these anyway. 

All things considered, his mind comes back without fail to the same conclusion. He is lucky to even be able to be near Eiji, to have his trust and care. He doesn’t deserve any of that, but Eiji seems to think otherwise. 

Ash takes a long sip of fresh water. He fills another glass for Eiji and notices that they have left the mess of empty glasses and bottles of alcohol in the living room. He gathers quickly what he can clear easily, but he is too tired to do the dishes right now. 

When he comes back into the bedroom, Eiji is fast asleep. Ash leaves the glass he brought him on the nightstand. 

“Goodnight, Eiji.” he murmurs. 

He looks at Eiji’s peaceful features for a moment. He hopes Eiji won’t be hangover the next day. But then again, it would teach him a lesson. Ash feels a smile stretches his lips when he thinks about all the rightful teasing he will be allowed to submit his friend to in the morning. 

He wonders if for once, he will be able to wake up before Eiji. He hopes so, he can already picture himself, wide awake and with breakfast ready for Eiji. His friend’s reaction will certainly be priceless.  
Whatever the next morning brings, knowing he will wake up beside Eiji for another day is enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I’m currently writing the continuation of my other fic, [Find My Way Back](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426514/chapters/38460644), but I wrote this after watching episode 18 so I thought “Why not share it?”  
> At first it was supposed to be fun shenanigans featuring alcohol, but I guess having Ash as the narrator makes everything a little bit angsty…  
> Please, feel free to tell me what you’ve think of it in the comments!  
> My [twitter](https://twitter.com/marabout74?lang=fr)


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